This Kindle blog of Kindle Fire, Paperwhite, and other e-Ink Kindle tips and Kindle news - with links to Free Kindle Books (contemporary also) - explores the less-known capabilities of the Amazon Kindle readers and tablets. Ongoing tutorials, guides for little-known features and latest information on the Kindle Fire tablets and their competitors. Questions are welcome in Comments area.
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Monday, December 12, 2011

TOO MANY free Kindle books, even for the Kindle forum free-book stalwarts

Never thought we'd see this situation.
As you know, I haven't been around much, but things are calming down so I can get back to more regular blogging. The first thing I find is that Joyce has posted, Sunday:

' Good morning to all ... Well, here we go again with another round of 299 freebies. I'm sorry, but I will need to pass this off to your search one more time. '

Then Joyce refers readers to one of the many good sites she visits to collect her daily specimens (there are several sites recommended in these threads I've pointed to you a few times a week). The site she recommends for searches (kinlib) has a few per page with good information though not the quickest if people are in a hurry.
And they give advice for using it, when people feel it's laborious, and name other sites. Another good site they recommend removes free books whose price have been raised back. (ereaderiq)

The responses from the forum readers include naming the free books they felt were interesting enough to 'buy' (for $0.00), so I'll post some of these instead and -- as always -- am referring you to Joyce's ongoing daily forum threads so you can get all the forum alerts and links to finder-places 'first-hand' -- the forum message titles and threads are separate for each set of release-alerts and are otherwise hard to find unless you are right there in the forum to find and follow them.

They tend to list on a regular basis which website sources they use so that you can find, bookmark, and regularly use them.

Sample reactions to the glut:
"Oh no, not again!
"Sometimes too much is simply too much! Fortunately I am on vacation right now."

Amazon now lets self-publishers set promo pricing of $0.00
The likely reason for this unmanageable glut of free books is that Amazon has finally allowed Amazon-self-published writers who agree to offer their books for the Prime Lending Program (which allows members to borrow one free book per month with no waiting list and no due-date) the ability to set their prices to $0.00 instead of just under $1.
And they can do this once (per year, I think per 90 days. Update - 12/13 - Those interested in this aspect can read how that works, in an article by Mark Coker of Smashwords (Link: huff.to/prime-indies ), whose site is one of those that are negatively affected by the Prime terms for Indy authors. Unfortunately too many of them decided to do it the first week, and while the idea of briefly pricing their books at $0.00 is to let people find those books, this will be difficult this week.

Add that the authors' books can be included in the monthly Prime borrowing program, with the added exposure, if they pull those titles from competitor sites where they do make some money. In other reading (Nate Hoffelder's The Digital Reader (Link: bit.ly/prime-indy ), I see that one author (Jeff Bennington) said that Amazon had brought him 97% of his e-book sales, so it was an easy decision for him.

All in all, I don't think most knew that they would be going into a pool of 46,000+ books instead of the original 5,400~ or so when the program started with traditionally published books and invited best-selling authors publishing at Amazon.

Unless Amazon separates the new Indies books, it could make it harder for Prime members to find what we usually look for in the public libraries that are always on waiting lists. I hope there's flexibility for the writers who signed up for this and that they are doing this on a trial basis (see Coker article linked in this section).

Today, that link will bring you to over 46,000 Kindle books eligible for Prime program borrowing. That matches our situation of 1,200+ free books the last few days.

Parental Control app available for Kindle Fire
In connection with some concern over the readily visible product pages for blue books (and I don't mean automobile), there is a very general free app available now for parental control of what can be accessed with the Kindle Fire.
Here's the Amazon Kindle forum discussion of how the app works, its benefits and limitations.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal
Monday's Daily Deal is a Bellwether Prize-winning novel, Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan set in the Jim Crow South and is discounted from $8.51 to $0.99 (88% off) for one day.

The 1200-1500+ free books listed and discussed in message threads and a LOT of customer recommendations for those not wanting to plow through the listings is next.

These will be on a 2nd page (if you are reading on the main page), as the long lists are linked to from the main page.

MORE... ( The temporarily newly-free books on the 2nd page, off the main page)
Those wanting to go see the discussion threads on these and some user recommendations reprinted here from the forum can do so by: clicking on "MORE" just below (if you're on the main web page).

TEMPORARILY-Free Books: Alerts from the Amazon Kindle forums - via the energetic "Happy Reader" Joyce, who is ever on the lookout on behalf of forum members.

NOTE: The alerts are quoted from Joyce's collecting of mostly temporarily-free books. They're *not* recommendations by anyone but are a popular, unfiltered daily set of forum release-alerts by Joyce, logged here for those who don't or can't make it to the forums. The eBooks are often no longer free within days, sometimes, within hours. Thanks to Joyce for gathering and organizing them for us where possible.

*** [ Joyce writes, on [ Friday, Dec. 9 - and reactions are included in this blog entry. ]

...It has been a little difficult to sort out the freebies this morning from the huge offering yesterday of 680 books. But, I would like to share a few here with you this morning that might or might not have been on the list. I think the following books are sure to be of interest to many. I don't recall seeing them and/or maybe some of you missed...

DESCRIPTION: These articles describe the trials of one stepmom as she fights to do right by her stepkids, son, and husband. There have been some ups. There have been some threats, name calling and private investigators.

*****

Upon the Isles of the Sea
Author: Gordon Ryan
Genre: Fiction - War - Inspirational
* Gordon is a superb writer - Don't miss this one *

DESCRIPTION: LDS Inspirational Fiction: When Seth, a young Stripling Warrior comes home from the wars after nearly eight years of fighting, he barely has time to settle in before Helaman, his former commander, now a missionary, comes to the village and calls him on yet another assignment. But Lilliana is determined that Seth will not leave the village again--at least not without her. Jared, Seth's best friend and also a former Stripling Warrior, is persuaded by General Moroni to remain in government service to infiltrate the devious "Secret Combinations." When Seth and Jared meet Hagoth--an "exceedingly curious man,"--in the City of Bountiful, their quest takes on a whole new dimension. Upon The Isles of The Sea, the first adventure tale from The Nephite Chronicles, is a story of courage, sacrifice, and honor.

DESCRIPTION: A quick message from Santa ... Hello everyone, and welcome to my diary. People have been asking me for years to write about my experiences and what's going on in my world. So I have finally given in and I'm going to share with you all what I'm getting up to. I'll be keeping a record here of all my preparations for Christmas and news for the next fews month. And what a time it's going to be. The elves are already hard at work, and Rudolf and the other Reindeer are well rested. We're all looking forward to another great Christmas. I hope you'll read this diary regularly and send me lots of nice letters, and even track my movements over the coming month.

DESCRIPTION: With a third of Americans on a diet at any given time, planning party menus can be a challenge for any hostess. Veteran cookbook author Linda Larsen has the solution! She offers you healthy cooking tips and delicious party-food recipes with your health in mind. Her recipes include lots of fruits and vegetables and low-fat ingredients like turkey bacon and tofu, so the foods are good for you and taste great! You will find many festive recipes: Cantaloupe Punch; High-Fiber Cashew Pear Bread; Low-Fat Turkey Swiss Sandwiches; Lemon Meringue Crunch Trifle; and more! With this book, you will discover that party food doesn't have to be bad for you. And that's reason enough to throw parties more often!

DESCRIPTION: A dystopian thriller set in the near future. England has been partitioned and London is an oppressive place where poetry has been forced underground, theatres and schools are shut, and women are not allowed to work outside the home. A young couple, Lucas and Angela, try to escape from London - with disastrous consequences.

Good morning to all ... Well, here we go again with another round of 299 freebies. I'm sorry, but I will need to pass this off to your search one more time... Some books that were free the past couple days in the huge number of free book offerings do not remain free for very long. As rumor has been heard, it appears that Amazon is switching out the old and bringing in new titles.
*** BE SURE THE PRICE SHOWS $0.00 BEFORE YOU "ONE-CLICK" *** ...

These are mostly mysteries and humor, and at least the product descriptions used accurate spelling and grammar and gave me an idea of what to expect from the book, so I have hopes they will be readable. And if not, I just delete them from my Kindle and go on to the next book.

MamaSylvia says:
I actually got caught up! The only new freebie I added was:Mafia Math - sounds like it will either be hysterical or a dud

*** angelmum3 says Whose Angel Keyring The description sounded interesting :
all these years later, a key that'd gone missing has mysteriously appeared. What does it unlock? Is it just the heirloom clock hiding in plain site on the mantel? Or does the angel keyring unlock far more? Though the e-book stands alone, it alsoextends the Milford-Haven Novels, the critically acclaimed, popular series, a multi-generational saga. Based on Purl's BBC Radio drama Milford-Haven U.S.A.

This is a kid's book - that is probably suited more for the Fire - it will be a gift for DD, so I clicked!A Stranger At Christmas
Not much description, but again - worth the price!The Edward Francis Blogs - the complete saga.
This year ...the geek shall inherit the earth! Part-time blogger, full-time social outcast. The story of how eighteen-year-old, Edward Francis had nothing, gained something, lost everything and found himself in-between.A rich, rewarding experience that you'll want to read again and again.Teen / young adult. Some swearing. Includes volumes 1, 2 and 3. Plus the Waiting Room. The complete saga! (putting in the product link I saw that amazon sells volumes 1, 2, 3 separately - so may be more reviews there)

*** [ patrinka says ]
Here's a few I picked up that looked interesting:

*** dharts saysLost Gold of the Shenandoah
A lighthearted tale of mystery and adventure set against the historical legacy of the American Civil War.

In the Autumn of 1864, a Confederate payroll train out of Richmond, Virginia, is attacked and plundered by a Union raiding party near Waynesboro, Virginia. The successful band of raiders, with their booty of strongboxes full of gold coins, headed north toward the Union lines near Winchester, Virginia. They never made it back.

One hundred forty-six years later, this tale of the lost gold is regarded only as legend, except in the small Shenandoah Valley town of Apple Grove. The descendants of the town's founding families, the Sons and Daughters of the Stars and Bars, have never stopped looking for the gold. But the trail of clues to its whereabouts has long grown cold, until the summer of 2010.

Lauren Reynolds had recently moved to Apple Grove and purchased the old White Swan Inn. She loved the town's old houses and battlefield park, the working period steam locomotive, and the numerous shops that catered to tourists and Civil War enthusiasts. It was a town where Civil War Reenactors came each year to relive the romance of times gone by. But when Lauren accidently stumbles across hidden secrets from the inn's past, she discovers that there is a darker side to this picturesque Shenandoah Valley town.

A Raucous Time (The Celtic Cousins' Adventures)
"When the final tally is counted, it will be seen that John's vices far outweigh the virtues of other kings," Churchill meant the Magna Carta of course. John also left another legacy though. One which has been hidden from sight for almost one thousand years. Rhyllann Jones's geeky cousin Wren believes he can solve an ancient mystery. And he's willing to sacrifice everything to the race to discover the fabled treasure trove of King John.

Rhyllann Jones longs for a normal family life. His Mum is an animal activist, his gran is in hospital, his aunt is in prison, while his cousin insists he knows where King John's lost treasure is hidden. Somehow Rhyllann finds himself fleeing from a ruthless gang and DI Crombie, over the wild moors of Bodmin and in more danger than he could ever imagine.

*** AmeliaA says
I picked those two up, too -- I'd heard about the Appalachian trail one and had been wanting to look at it.

Here's the first half of the product description for the Appalachian Trail one:
Why would a middle-aged businessman who had never even spent the night outdoors, attempt to hike the entire Appalachian Trail? Bill Walker, a former commodities trader in Chicago and London, and an avid walker, had developed a virtual obsession to hike this historic 2,175 mile footpath in one hiking season.
So in the spring of 2005 he set off from his home state of Georgia, hoping to make it to Mount Katahdin in northern Maine before the arrival of winter. Immediately, he realized he had plunged into a whole new world. For starters, the Appalachian Trail has some ferociously difficult terrain, winding through dramatically diverse geography and covering the East's highest peaks.

Walker's 6'11' height earned him the trail name, "Skywalker", and drew envious attention from his fellow hikers. However, the height made him more susceptible to weight loss, cold weather, and crushing fatigue. An elemental fear of bears and snakes, as well as getting lost, also loomed large.

*** Andromeda says
Looking for history books I found this, which is easily missed among the huge list of freebies, thought some might like to know about it:

"On July 27, 1864, Brigadier General Richard M. Gano carried out one of the great open field cavalry attacks of the Civil War. Targeting the camp of the 6th Kansas Cavalry, Southern horsemen charged across miles of open prairie and achieved one of the few overwhelming Confederate victories of the Civil War in Arkansas. On Massard Prairie outside Fort Smith, Gano's Texans fought side by side with Choctaw and Chickasaw soldiers to virtually destroy an entire battalion of Union cavalry in a sweeping victory that opened the way for the noted Cabin Creek expedition just two weeks later. The Battle of Massard Prairie, Arkansas, is the third in a series of studies of small but significant Civil War battles by historian Dale Cox. Other books include The Battle of Marianna, Florida and The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida. "

ETA: ** Be sure you check the price is $0.00 before you "one-click". Some books have already gone back to regular pricing, and this list has only been available for 6 hours. **

*** [More recommendations ]
*** Princess "Jingle Bells" (Joyce) says
Well, I have completed my search through today's 278 books, and I have to admit that I did find 8 books that I think I will enjoy reading.

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